Thomas-Dodd improves record yet again

Danniel Thomas-Dodd continued her fine indoor track and field season yesterday with an explosive destruction of her own national shot put record. Throwing on the birthday of her husband Shane, Thomas-Dodd fired the shot 19.05m at a meet on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio. By contrast, it was a weekend where hurdler supreme Omar McLeod had mixed fortunes.

The 25-year-old Thomas-Dodd started her throws at the Kent State National Qualifier with a mark of 17.69m and then fouled twice. Finishing strongly, the 2017 World Championship finalist blasted her last three efforts out to distances of 18.18, 18.33, and 19.05m. That is not far off her national outdoor record of 19.15m but is well beyond the indoor mark she had set last month, 18.46m.

McLeod experienced victory and defeat at the Clemson Tiger Paw meet in South Carolina. After producing a world-leading time of 7.46 seconds to qualify in the 60m hurdles, he was surprised on Saturday in the final by 20-year-old American Grant Holloway. The University of Florida student-athlete not only won, but his winning time of 7.42 seconds took over the world lead and broke the US Collegiate record of 7.45, set by McLeod when he was at the University of Arkansas.

McLeod, who was timed in 7.52 in that race, returned yesterday to win the 200m in 20.76 seconds.

Notable performances came from Natalliah Whyte, Damion Thomas, and 2016 Olympian Clive Pullen in Fayetville, Arkansas, at the Tyson Invitational. Whyte won her section of the 200m in 23.40 seconds, only to see her Bahamian Auburn University teammate, Jenae Ambrose, go faster, clocking 23.35 seconds in another section. Thomas, the Florida-based Jamaican now at Louisiana State University, won the 60m hurdles in 7.76 seconds.

Thomas, who won a Carifta Under-18 title for Jamaica in 2016, had established his best at 7.75 earlier in the indoor season.

Pullen, NCAA champion during his tenure as a student-athlete at the University of Arkansas, was second to American Omar Craddock in the men's triple jump with an encouraging distance of 16.71m, the longest by a Jamaican this year. Craddock jumped 17.18m to secure the win.